


Giving himself away

by floatingaway4



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:20:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25730482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floatingaway4/pseuds/floatingaway4
Summary: Henry and Alex attend a holiday party at the youth shelter.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 52
Kudos: 214





	Giving himself away

**Author's Note:**

> This is different from other things I've done, and I honestly don't know how I feel about it. I've picked at it so long I'm just done with it. I was at the point of either just deleting it, or throwing it out into the firmament (ha!) to see if other people hate it. I always ALWAYS love comments, but they would be especially appreciated on this story. If you hate it, be kind tho.

Alex’s first semester of classes have been crazy, more demanding than he’d ever imagined. Even so, he’s been to the shelter a few times to meet Henry for lunch or to check out some of his projects. Henry was especially proud of the library he helped start and has been bringing home queer romance novels to show Alex. 

The other night while Alex was making dinner, Henry was sitting on the counter telling him about this love story between a boy with magic powers and another boy who’s “partly a vampire.” Alex wanted to ask how that works, but he couldn’t get a word in edgewise. 

“I can’t _imagine_ , if I’d had something like that to read at that age, Alex. Stories about boys dating boys or girls falling in love with girls, and not having it all go horribly wrong...that kind of representation would have been so meaningful,” he’d told Alex with the most endearing look of wonder on his face. 

Alex had started to make a smartass comment about how gay half-vampires have never gotten fair literary representation, but he was enjoying Henry’s excitement too much to interrupt. He really has to work to stay focused when Henry gets all wound up and passionate about these things, because it just makes Alex want to kiss him. 

To be fair, Alex _always_ wants to kiss him. But Henry’s enthusiasm and drive to do good in the world also just tugs at something deep inside Alex, something he has trouble putting into words. 

So since Alex hasn’t had the chance to spend any substantial time at the shelter, he’s honestly excited when Henry tells him they’re having a holiday party for the kids and the staff a few days before Christmas. 

Everyone near the door greets Henry and Alex casually as they walk in. They stop at a table to fill in name tags with their preferred pronouns, like everyone there is already wearing. There are tables with drinks and pizza and cookies in the big common room. A popcorn machine is loudly tossing kernels around the heated compartment. Holiday movies are playing on the big screen tv in the smaller room down the hall. 

Henry walks with him over to the Christmas tree, where Alex is surprised to see teenagers making those simple construction paper chains, like he and June made when they were kids. Henry greets each of them by name and they look up briefly from their work. 

Henry pulls him away and leans in. “Some of these kids came up through the foster care system, or just grew up in homes where no one had the time or energy for family activities. They really seem to enjoy doing them now. You should have seen them decorating cookies the other day,” he smiles at Alex. 

A group of kids are singing karaoke in the corner of the room. One of them yells, “Hey, Prince! You’re up next!” and Henry nods in their direction. “Taylor Swift?” Henry asks, with a note of hesitation in his voice. 

“You’ll see!” the boy calls back with a glint in his eye. 

“Oh, dear,” Henry mutters to Alex, who hasn’t closed his mouth since the exchange started. “Would you like a drink? Non-alcoholic, obviously.”

“Sure,” Alex says, and lets Henry lead him to the refreshment table. Alex sees people he knows there, including Bex, one of the program directors, and her wife, Amanda. Henry and Alex have had them over to the house for dinner twice now. Alex bonded with Amanda the first time they met when he learned she’s a fellow Texan. 

Alex pops open a can of Coke while Henry chats with them. “Monitoring the drinks?” Alex asks. 

“Hey, at least there’s no punch bowl for someone to spike, like they did at my prom,” Amanda laughs. 

Henry turns to Alex. “Is that a thing?” 

Alex nods up at him. “American high school tradition, babe.” 

The voice from the corner calls over again. “Hey, Highness! We’re ready for you!” 

Henry kisses Alex’s temple. “Duty calls,” and walks over to the group. A few of the other kids stop what they’re doing to watch, but mostly no one pays any particular attention to the Prince of England singing into a glittery silver microphone, wearing khakis and the obligatory ugly Christmas sweater. 

Alex moves closer to watch, and Amanda comes up beside him. “The kid who called him over was skipping school so Henry made a deal with him. If he’d go to school every day for the rest of December, Henry would let him pick a karaoke song for him to sing at the party.” 

“I guess he went?” Alex asks, remembering the creative ways he once got Henry to sing. He has to remind himself to keep his mind out of the gutter, at least for now. It doesn’t help matters when Henry winks at him as the music starts. 

Henry does an appropriately terrible job on “Rocket Man,” and bows mockingly before walking away, handing off the mike to the next singer. He is headed back toward Alex when one of the girls on the couch calls “Henry!” She excitedly babbles something at Henry that Alex can’t hear, while showing Henry her phone and gesturing wildly. He sits down next to her while she scrolls and points. While she’s talking, Henry looks over to Alex and mouths “sorry.” Alex shakes his head with a smile and walks off to look around. 

Alex wonders if his soda was somehow spiked after all, because this is surreal. 

When Alex has to use the restroom (gender-neutral, his dad would be proud), he sees a basket of free condoms on a little shelf, along with little pamphlets about safe sex and confidential STD testing. They really seem to have thought of everything here. When he was having his own revelations about his sexuality, he’d discovered how few resources there are for anyone who doesn’t identify as straight. 

After he returns to the common room, an older woman with short gray hair walks up to him. “You’re Alex, right? Henry’s boyfriend? I’m Lisa. I’m in charge of the counseling staff.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Alex shakes her hand. 

“I’m a huge fan of your mother’s.” 

“Thanks, so am I,” Alex smiles. They both stand at an angle so they can watch the party in progress. It’s pleasantly noisy but not so loud they can’t hear each other. “Can I tell you something?” she asks. 

Alex shrugs and nods, expecting to hear something about his mom. He takes a drink of his Coke. 

“When I first got hired and heard the Prince of England was involved, I figured he’d be, I don’t know...obnoxious?” 

Alex nearly does a spit take. “Yeah, I get that,” he laughs. 

“He’s nothing like I thought he’d be, though.” 

“Yeah, I get that too,” Alex says, watching as another kid pulls on Henry’s arm and drags him over to a group playing video games. 

“I mean, I figured he’d either throw money at us and we’d never see him again, or he’d try to micromanage something he knew nothing about. But…” she gestures toward the group of kids playing some military video game while Henry watches. “You know he doesn’t have to do any of this, right?” 

“What do you mean?” Alex asks, tearing his eyes away from Henry and turning to really look at her for the first time. 

“I mean, he’s on the board. Well, he’s the owner, obviously, but...none of the other board members come here every day. If they did they’d probably sit in an office behind a computer. And sure, he has to do that sometimes, but mostly he’s doing this.” She gestures toward Henry again. “Hanging out with the kids, talking to them, listening to their problems. I mean, he went through our basic counselor training program, just like the regular staff are required to. He did it vol-un-ta-ri-ly.” She emphasizes each syllable of that word for Alex’s benefit. 

And yeah, Alex knew Henry had done that, but he didn’t know Henry had asked to do it. Alex knows how much Henry loves it here, he’s listened to Henry’s stories about the kids every day over dinner. But seeing it is something else. Watching Henry be so perfectly comfortable in his own skin, in a place where everyone accepts him for who he is, and where he’s doing so much good just by existing in the world as an openly gay man. It’s...something, Alex thinks. 

“And when he’s not with the kids,” Lisa continues, “he’s asking the staff what they need and trying to get it for them. They asked for more sex ed resources, because there’s so little of that for the LGBTQ community. Boom, done. They told him we need more support for the trans population, so he told them to go ahead.” She shook her head. “Honestly, I forget who...I forget _what_ he is sometimes. He just...he seems like a good guy.” 

“He is,” Alex assures her, his eyes suddenly a little damp. 

Alex is so used to thinking of Henry as _his_ , but he realizes he’s been sharing Henry with all these people, all this time...and he doesn’t mind a bit. He did tell Henry to give himself away. 

Alex introduces himself to some of the other, newer staff and then wanders over to the movie area. One of the girls scoots over and gestures for him to sit on the couch. “Christmas Story,” she says, pointing to the tv. “Best Christmas movie ever.” 

Alex nods in agreement. “It’s got everything. Kids cussing, the leg lamp, a BB gun. What more could you ask for in a Christmas movie?” 

She laughs. “You’re Henry’s boyfriend, right?” 

Alex grins and nods. “You’re not a prince too, are you?” she asks, wide-eyed. 

“Um, no, I’m not. I’m a law student, first year.” 

“I was fucking with you, dude. I know who you are. I’m Ash.” 

Alex laughs. 

“Do you guys always travel with goons?” she nods toward the Secret Service agent hovering near the doorway. 

“Pretty much,” he says. “We’re both kind of used to it at this point.” 

She asks him about law school and tells him she wants to go to college but it’s tricky, being homeless. And on top of that she doesn't even have the money for the application fees, much less tuition. 

By the time they’re done talking, Alex has offered to come back and help her fill out applications and look into scholarships. 

He excuses himself to check in with Henry, who is in the other room, standing on the edge of a group of kids and staff members talking about sports. He grabs Alex by the hand with a laugh and a quick kiss. “Oh good, there you are. Please save me from having to talk about American football.” As he and Alex start across the room, a young man approaches who seems to be bursting to tell Henry something. Henry introduces Alex, who merits a “Yeah, hey” from the kid. 

“Hey, Prince, I went to that counselor like you told me to but I didn’t really get anything out of talking to her.” 

Henry nods. “Maybe give it a couple more tries? I know when I’ve gone to therapy it takes a few sessions to make any progress. You can always quit later, no one is going to force you to see her.” 

The kid nods. “Yeah, maybe.”

“I’ve also found that if you’ve buried things deep inside, it might hurt when you dig them out. Therapy can be uncomfortable, but that’s not always a bad thing.” 

“I’ll give her one more try but...I don’t know.” 

“Please do. Come tell me whatever you decide. I’ll be around more next week.” 

“Got it,” he says. “Later, Prince.” And he gives Henry a fistbump, which Henry returns so casually Alex’s mouth is hanging open. Again. He feels like he’s been scrambling to catch up all night. 

Surreal. 

Henry gets pulled away by someone else, and Alex leaves them alone. He meets a few more kids and briefly gets pulled into a game of cornhole set up in the art therapy room. Then one of the kids asks him some really informed questions about his mother's immigration policies, and Alex is impressed. When he wanders back into the main room, he finds Henry talking with some of the staff about whether they should get a therapy dog. “I know Jay is allergic, but Selena has been begging for one,” Henry offers. Alex slides his arm around Henry’s waist and leans against him, just listening to the conversation. 

Even when he’s clearly enjoying himself, Alex knows there’s a limit to how much energy Henry can put into things like this. Trailing his fingers up and down Henry’s back, he feels a telltale give in his posture, and sees the fading light in his eyes. 

“You ready to go, sweetheart?” 

Henry nods gratefully and leans down for a kiss. And Alex thinks about what it must mean for some of these kids to watch two men kiss each other without fear or shame. These kids who are here because their homes aren’t welcoming places for them, whose schools and communities might not be either. So maybe he puts a little extra something into this particular kiss. Or maybe he just really likes kissing Henry. 

They could walk home, it’s not that late and the weather is unseasonably warm. But Alex knows Henry might appreciate the relative sensory deprivation of a car ride, even a short one. He decides he made the right call when Henry slides into the back seat and immediately leans back and closes his eyes. 

“That was fun, babe,” Alex tells him, reaching over to comb his fingers through Henry’s hair. No matter how many other ways he can touch Henry now, this one never gets old. 

Henry leans into Alex’s hand. “I’m glad you had a good time. Sorry I kept abandoning you.” 

“I’m okay, you don’t need to worry about me,” Alex whispers. “Everybody there loves you, you know.” Henry opens his eyes and turns to look at him. “The staff, the kids...me.” 

Henry smiles and leans over for a slow, sleepy kiss. 

“That place is amazing. You’ve done such a great job already.”

  
  
“It’s hardly just me, but, thank you. I believe we’re off to a good start.” 

“I’d like to come hang out there more often, actually, if that’s okay. I promised Ash I’d help with her college applications. She doesn’t have the money to pay the application fees though. I told her to ask her counselor at school about a waiver, but she wasn't too excited about that. And I used to be a decent tutor, so maybe I can help some of them with homework if they need it.” 

Henry’s tired brain is obviously trying to process that. “First of all, I would absolutely love to have you there whenever you aren’t busy with school. You’re welcome any time.” He squeezes Alex’s hand. “I’m sorry, people have to pay to _apply_ to school? Just to fill out the application?”

Alex decides not to kill the mood by asking how much Eton and Oxford cost. “Yeah, it can be up to a hundred bucks just to apply to one school.” 

“That’s insane,” Henry says, resting his head against the seat again. “What is the point of...anyway, we can probably find the money for things like that out of our funding. And if we can’t, I’ll pay for it.” He turns to look at Alex again. “It was sweet of you to offer to help her, Alex. Thank you.” 

The car stops in front of the house and their security people mill around outside. Henry starts up the broad steps, but Alex pulls him back by the hand and kisses him in the hazy beam of a streetlight. Henry’s hands flutter to Alex’s waist. He opens his eyes and smiles. “What was that for?” 

Alex shrugs with a grin. “Nothing in particular. I just love you.” 

David meets them at the door and Alex takes him for a short walk, then quickly gets ready for bed. By the time Alex comes out of the bathroom in boxers and a t-shirt, Henry is propped up against the pillows wearing an NYU Law t-shirt. He has an old season of Bake-off with Mel and Sue pulled up on Netflix. They still haven’t quite accepted the new hosts and prefer the early Mary Berry episodes. 

Alex climbs under the sheets and immediately scoots into Henry’s space, leaning back against his shoulder. He remembers watching this show on Henry’s laptop at the palace, after they’d almost broken up. How close they came to never having any of this. 

“They’re cool kids,” Alex says. 

“Hmm? They are, aren’t they? I mean, some of them are more difficult to get to know, but yes, they’re generally a good bunch.” He absently runs a hand up and down Alex’s leg under the sheets. 

Alex grins. “You seem happy there. It’s a great place.” 

Henry nods, which Alex feels rather than sees. “It is, but....”

“But what?” Alex asks, sitting up, expecting Henry to tell him about how he’s inadequate or failing in some way. Always ready to defend Henry from himself. 

“It’s not home," Henry says. "However nice it is, however many things we put in it, it’s not home. I mean, it’s hard to overcome being rejected by your family because of who you fundamentally are. Even if you have the basic material things you need.” 

And Alex knows Henry isn’t just talking about the kids at the shelter anymore. Wildly different circumstances, but the same rejection, the same hurt. 

Alex pops up abruptly and swings his legs over the edge of the bed. “Oh, shit, hang on. I forgot to do something.” Henry tugs at his hand and whines as Alex gets out of bed. “I’ll be right back, you big baby. Two seconds,” Alex laughs. 

“You’re not doing class work, it’s too late. Come back to bed,” Henry calls after him. 

“I’m not, I promise,” Alex calls from their office down the hall. “Hey, do they really call you Prince all the time?” 

“Yes,” Henry huffs out a soft laugh. “They also call me highness. Not ‘Your Royal Highness,’ just ‘Highness.’ Gran would have a coronary. But then, she’d never step foot in a place like that, so I’m not terribly worried.” 

Alex comes back and plops onto his knees on his own side of the bed, grinning. “You’d rather they bow and scrape?” 

Henry rolls his eyes at Alex, unable to hide a smile. “You’re onto me, darling. After all this time I’m glad you understand it’s really about the appropriate amount of deference to the monarchy.” He uses his best haughty voice, which Alex thinks sounds suspiciously like Philip. 

Alex leans forward to press a kiss to Henry’s jaw, then just hovers there, a teasing lilt to his voice. “Because I could call you that, if you want. I mean, I’m kind of tired of calling you my boyfriend.” He lightly brushes his lips behind Henry’s ear. “I can call you Prince, or Highness,” he moves up to whisper in Henry’s ear, “or Your Royal Exalted Whatever-ness.”

Henry chuckles and yawns. “I beg you to not.” 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Alex’s voice is suddenly husky and low and serious, and he straddles Henry’s lap to face him. “Actually,” he holds his hand up so Henry can see the ring pinched gently between his thumb and forefinger. “I think I’d rather call you my husband.” 

Henry stares at the ring, then up at Alex’s face. 

“I wasn’t gonna do this yet,” Alex says, laughing a little at himself as his voice cracks. “I was gonna plan a big trip, do a whole production, because you deserve all that. But I just, I don’t want to put it off anymore.” 

Henry still hasn’t said anything, is still staring at Alex with his mouth hanging open a little. 

“I mean, I know the wedding’s not going to happen tomorrow or anything, so I’ll have to settle for being your fiancé for a while. But, baby,” Alex slides the ring onto the tip of his index finger and cups Henry’s face with his hand, the ring a cool spot against warm skin. “I remember how scared you were to take a chance on us, to fight for what you wanted, but you did it. And you were so brave.” He has to stop to swipe tears from his own cheeks. “And to watch you now, to see this person you’ve become, and how hard you work for those kids….I am so fucking proud to be with you.” 

Henry shakes his head, like he can’t quite believe what he’s hearing. Alex leans in close and smooths a tear from Henry’s cheek with his thumb. He’s been thinking about this all night, but the words still try to get stuck in his throat. “You are my best friend. You are the best person I have ever known, and I love you with all my heart. And I just couldn’t wait one more second to tell everybody, to tell _you_ , how much I want to be your husband.” He holds the ring out, exhaling a deep, slow breath to keep his voice from shaking. He knows this isn’t anywhere close to traditional but he wants to do this part right. “Henry, will you marry me?” 

Henry wipes at his eyes. He’s still stunned into speechlessness but he’s nodding and holding Alex’s face in his hands. He finally manages to say “yes” and "Alex" and "I love--" and "yes" again, between frantic, eager kisses. He lets Alex put the ring on his finger and then kisses him, slow and deep, until they both have to come up for air. 

“I was going to ask you!” Henry laughs helplessly, his arms low around Alex’s waist. “I have a ring! I was going to--” 

Alex smiles at him and slaps his hand over Henry’s mouth. “Don’t tell me! You can still ask me. Do your thing, whatever you planned. I’ll even pretend to be surprised.” He moves his hand so he can lean in for another wet, salty kiss, then whispers, “Spoiler alert: I will say yes.”

Henry laughs, then slides one gentle, shaking hand through Alex’s hair until it comes to rest on the back of his neck. “You will? Are you sure?” 

Alex nods. He takes Henry’s other hand and looks down at his ring there. Then he looks up and stares confidently into Henry’s eyes, because Henry needs to believe him, needs to know that this isn't just one of Alex's impulses. That it's forever. He smiles at his... fiancé. “Yeah. A thousand percent.”

**Author's Note:**

> Other people have done this, and done it better, but I guess this is my contribution to the proposal fics :-) It's not tagged, because it was a surprise to Henry so I thought it should be a surprise to readers, too.


End file.
